People in President Donald Trump’s orbit have reason to be nervous about Democrats retaking Congress and regaining the ability to investigate the corruption that has marked this administration.
Because of that, it was tough to keep this list to just 10 people, so consider this a sampling of who will probably be facing a grip of subpoenas. Trump is likely to try to pardon everyone on his way out the door, but that only protects them from criminal consequences. It will not prevent Democrats from dragging them in front of Congress to lay their malfeasance bare.
Here are the top 10 people who will be most exposed if Democrats win Congress.
10. Curtis Wood
You might not know his name, but you know his work. Wood is the president of Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the company hired to “fix” the Reflecting Pool. Somehow, even though he botched nearly every part of that job, his company kept the millions from its no-bid contract — and then got millions more to fix its own screw-ups.
9. Todd Blanche
Attorney General Todd Blanche has dodged consequences for his behavior, even as 101 former federal and state judges filed a bar complaint against him. Blanche has managed to avoid testifying under oath. That arrangement disappears on January 3, 2027.
8. Lindsey Halligan
Halligan’s tenure as interim US attorney was brief but sketchy. She landed indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James after career attorneys said there was no crime to indict. A federal magistrate said she made “fundamental misstatements of the law that could compromise the integrity of the grand jury process.”
7. Tom Homan
Compared to others on this list, the border czar is a small fry. All Homan did was accept a $50,000 bribe in a brown paper bag. The real reason to haul him before Congress is to ask who made that investigation go away, allowing him to join the administration.
6. Sean Duffy
The transportation secretary spent seven months on a family road trip sponsored by companies he regulates. Duffy’s “Great American Road Trip” offered potential sponsors a chance to “partner” with him to advertise their wares. Congress will want to know what Toyota and Boeing got in return.
5. Kristi Noem
Noem packed so much corruption into her time atop the Department of Homeland Security that it is hard to pick and choose. Democrats should ask about the $220 million she spent on ads where she rode a horse in South Dakota, her flying “loveshack” with Corey Lewandowski, and the hundreds of millions she showered on a donor on her last day.
4. Elon Musk
Musk is one of the most repugnant figures attached to this administration. Democrats should go after him on two fronts: the carnage he created with the Department of Government Efficiency, and his sweetheart deals with the Trump administration as a “special government employee.”
3. Jared Kushner
Kushner has kept a lower profile in Trump’s second term, but he is still making money moves. He is one of the lead negotiators in the Middle East while his private-equity firm, Affinity Partners, is financed by Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia. His explanation to a House committee should be fascinating.
2. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump
If their father were not president, the Trump sons would be relegated to owning a used-car dealership or working as slumlords. Instead, they have made money from no-bid federal contracts. They should also answer for their participation in Trump’s crypto grift.
1. Donald Trump
For everything. Every bit of his family’s crypto grift. His IRS immunity deal. His cronies’ well-timed stock trades. Every no-bid contract. The bribe palace ballroom and the rest of his destruction of Washington. Just everything.
The Bottom Line
Democrats are positioned to retake Congress in the midterms, and if they do, a long list of Trump allies could face subpoenas and congressional investigations. From Elon Musk and Kristi Noem to Jared Kushner and the president himself, the list includes figures at the center of the administration’s most controversial deals. Pardons may protect them from criminal prosecution, but not from being called to testify under oath.
My Opinion
This list is not a partisan wish list. It is a roadmap of unanswered questions. Every name on it represents a decision that was made without scrutiny, a contract that was awarded without competition, or a deal that was struck without transparency. If Democrats win Congress, they will not be persecuting these people. They will be doing the job Republicans have refused to do for two years.
Curtis Wood botched the Reflecting Pool and got paid twice. Todd Blanche has avoided testifying under oath while 101 former judges filed a bar complaint against him. Tom Homan allegedly accepted a $50,000 bribe in a paper bag and then joined the administration. Kristi Noem spent $220 million on ads featuring herself on a horse. Elon Musk dismantled federal agencies and then received sweetheart deals from the man he helped elect.
None of this is normal nor acceptable. And none of it would be investigated if Republicans keep control of Congress. The question is not whether Democrats will subpoena these people. It is whether the American public will finally see the evidence that has been kept hidden.
